Ex-military

Employment for ex-Service personnel

On average, 21,000 skilled and experienced people leave the armed forces every year, many looking to enter the civilian workforce. As highly trained individuals with a range of transferrable skills, including leadership, teamwork and communication, veterans make capable and committed employees.

While many Service leavers make a successful transition from life in the forces to civilian employment, others find it harder to adapt to life and work in “civvy street”. One of the most common challenges for veterans is translating their military experience in a way that resonates with employers.

On the other hand, research shows that many employers fail to recognise the skills veterans have to offer and miss out on this valuable talent pool as a result.

Capitalising on military talent

Business in the Community’s toolkit, written in partnership with military recruitment specialists, Salute My Job, is designed to help your businesses strengthen its workforce by offering veterans fulfilling second careers. It has been developed with input from leading employers, including BT, Fujitsu, Standard Life and the NHS, to help you build a pipeline of talented veterans into your business.

Steps businesses can take to become armed-forces friendly

Drawing on best practice approaches and expert advice1, the employment framework has been developed to help businesses understand what practical steps they can take to successfully recruit and retain veterans and reservists in the civilian workplace. Click on the sections below for tips and tools on how to become an armed forces-friendly employer: